Fish Makhani is exactly what it sounds like: fish in a delicious, thick, slightly tangy, and creamy gravy. Fish Makani can be made with almost any fish, but it tastes best with one that has a firm, white flesh and a mild flavour. The fish can be swapped out for prawns.

This recipe is extremely popular in India. This is the ideal dish. Serve Fish Makhani with plain boiled long-grain rice, such as basmati. Even better, serve it with Kaali daal, Naan, and a salad for a complete and satisfying meal.

Ingredients

For the fish-

•    2 pounds (1 kilogram) fish fillets, skin removed, cut into 2-inch pieces, any fish with firm white flesh

•    1 lime, squeezed

•    Salt

•    1 teaspoon red chilli powder

•    6 whole garlic cloves

•    8–10 peppercorns

•    1 (1-inch) cinnamon stick

•    two bay leaves

•    a dozen to ten almonds

•    3–4 cardamom pods

•    1 cup plain, non-sour yoghurt

For the gravy-

•    3 tbsp cooking oil (vegetable, canola, or sunflower)

•    2 chopped onions

•    2 tbsp. garlic paste

•    1 tsp. ginger paste

•    Cilantro

•    1 tablespoon cumin

•    a quarter teaspoon of turmeric

•    400-gram chopped tomatoes, half pureed in a food processor to a smooth paste, the other half left in chunks

•    2 cups stock of fish

•    2 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves

•    3 tbsp. softened unsalted butter

•    Salt

•    Coriander leaves

Method-

•    In a large nonmetallic mixing bowl, combine the fish, lime juice, salt, and red chilli powder. Give the marinade an hour to sit, covered.

•    Warm a flat pan or griddle over medium heat and gently roast the cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, bay leaves, and almonds (stirring frequently) until they darken slightly. Allow cooling before adding the cardamom seeds. In a clean, dry coffee grinder, grind into a coarse powder.

•    Add the yoghurt, above whole spice powder, coriander, cumin, and turmeric powders to the fish. Give it one further hour to marinate. 

•    Over medium heat, warm the oil in a big skillet. When the onions are hot, add them. Fry until pale golden brown, then add the ginger and garlic pastes. Cook for a minute.

•    Fry only the fish from the fish-spice mixture until sealed (fish will turn opaque and the flesh will go from pink to whitish in colour). Gently mix everything together.

•    To the fish, add the tomato paste and chopped tomatoes, fish stock, kasuri methi, and the remaining yoghurt-spice mixture.

•    Cook until the fish is tender and the gravy has been reduced by half. To avoid breaking up the fish, gently stir every now and then.

•    In a separate small pan, melt the butter and then pour it over the fish. Serve with Naan garnished with coriander leaves.